Gründerzeitmuseum im Gutshaus Mahlsdorf

About the museum

The Gutshaus Mahlsdorf was built around 1815 as a simple rural manor house and was remodeled in 1869 into a late Neoclassical country villa. After 1919 it belonged to the city and served, among other things, as a home for infants, a school, and a kindergarten. By the late 1950s, the run-down building was slated for demolition.

It was saved by Lothar Berfelde, known as Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, who had been collecting Gründerzeit furniture and household goods since her teens. Over decades of her own labor she restored the house, and on August 1, 1960, she opened her private Gründerzeitmuseum there, which also became a meeting place for the gay and lesbian scene in East Germany. In 1992 she was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit (Bundesverdienstkreuz). After an attack by neo-Nazis in 1991 and mounting financial burdens, she closed the museum in 1995 and moved to Sweden; the State of Berlin had previously acquired part of the collection. Her life story became known internationally through Doug Wright's play "I Am My Own Wife."

In 1997, the newly founded friends' association Förderverein Gutshaus Mahlsdorf reopened the museum. It bought the building in 2001, restored it in keeping with its landmark status from 2007 onward, and in 2011 was also able to buy back the parts of the collection that had gone to Sweden. Today the house shows 17 fully furnished rooms with furniture and household items of the lower and middle bourgeoisie between 1870 and 1900, a collection of mechanical musical instruments, and a historic Berlin pub in the basement. The setting is the public manor park, which was restored to its historical design in 1993–95.

Highlights

• 17 fully furnished rooms, mostly in Neo-Renaissance style
• Demonstration of mechanical music machines on every tour
• According to the museum, Berlin's oldest surviving Zille pub, in the basement
• Neo-Gothic dining room of a Berlin merchant from around 1900
• Permanent exhibition on Charlotte von Mahlsdorf and the history of the museum

Permanent exhibitions

• Die Gründerzeitsammlung – Complete middle-class living rooms from 1870 to 1900, plus mechanical musical instruments, a kitchen, and a historic pub in the basement.
• Geschichte des Gründerzeitmuseums – Information panels in the hallway on how the museum came to be, on Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, and on the play about her life.

Founded

1960

Operated by

Förderverein Gutshaus Mahlsdorf e.V.

Director

Monika Schulz-Pusch

Admission & discounts

Admission always includes a guided tour.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: not available
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The museum is not accessible; staff will help on site.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.

Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

The manor park is open to the public.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Weddings / ceremonies

Civil wedding ceremonies can be held in the Garden Hall.

Plan your visit